Effect of origin, moisture content, maturity, and mechanical damage on seed and seedling vigor of beans
Effect of Origin, Moisture Content, Maturity, and
Mechanical Damage on Seed and Seedling Vigor of Beans1
Soesarsano Wijandi and L. O. Copeland2
Each year a substantial portion of the dry edible bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) acreage in the
Upper Great Lakes region of Michigan, New York and Ontario, Canada is planted with seed
produced in the western United States, particularly Idaho and California. Most of the seed
brought from the West is that of large-seeded, colored bean cultivars although there is interest in
increasing the use of western-produced navy bean seed.
These studies compared the laboratory and field performance of hand-threshed Michigan and
Idaho-grown seed of field beans (navy type), cultivar ‘Seafarer,’ following mechanical impaction
at various moisture levels. Michigan-produced seed exhibited less reduction in germination and
seedling vigor than Idaho-grown seed after impaction at comparable moisture levels.
The level of injury increased as the seed moisture content decreased, but was significant at all
moisture levels. Planting injury to seed was reduced by pretreating with talc, graphite, and diesel
fuel; however, diesel fuel adversely affected seed germination.
Significant reductions in germination and seedling vigor were observed in seed harvested prior to
complete maturity.
Key Words: Field beans • Germination • Seed quality
1
Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Article No. 6439.
2
Respectively, former graduate student (now Instructor, Faculty of Agricultural Product
Technology, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, Indonesia) and Associate Professor,
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824.
Received for publication June 30, 1973.
http://agron.scijournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/66/4/546
Mechanical Damage on Seed and Seedling Vigor of Beans1
Soesarsano Wijandi and L. O. Copeland2
Each year a substantial portion of the dry edible bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) acreage in the
Upper Great Lakes region of Michigan, New York and Ontario, Canada is planted with seed
produced in the western United States, particularly Idaho and California. Most of the seed
brought from the West is that of large-seeded, colored bean cultivars although there is interest in
increasing the use of western-produced navy bean seed.
These studies compared the laboratory and field performance of hand-threshed Michigan and
Idaho-grown seed of field beans (navy type), cultivar ‘Seafarer,’ following mechanical impaction
at various moisture levels. Michigan-produced seed exhibited less reduction in germination and
seedling vigor than Idaho-grown seed after impaction at comparable moisture levels.
The level of injury increased as the seed moisture content decreased, but was significant at all
moisture levels. Planting injury to seed was reduced by pretreating with talc, graphite, and diesel
fuel; however, diesel fuel adversely affected seed germination.
Significant reductions in germination and seedling vigor were observed in seed harvested prior to
complete maturity.
Key Words: Field beans • Germination • Seed quality
1
Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Article No. 6439.
2
Respectively, former graduate student (now Instructor, Faculty of Agricultural Product
Technology, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, Indonesia) and Associate Professor,
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824.
Received for publication June 30, 1973.
http://agron.scijournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/66/4/546